Garlic Chili Sauce

That moment when you realize you are almost out of garlic chili sauce. And then the dawning realization of “how hard can this be, really, to make?” given that you are staring at a pile of ripe serrano peppers on your counter. The ingredients on the side of the jar are chilies, garlic, salt and vinegar, plus preservatives to make it shelf stable.

Google is your friend. Reviewing several blog recipes 5 minutes later, looking for ones that seem to have enough vinegar to ensure a safe pH for storage, you realize that yes, you can make this, and its going to take all of about 10 minutes.

Garlic Chili Sauce

1 lb hot chilies, stems removed

1 1/2 tsp fine grain salt (not kosher), or more to taste

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)

11 cloves garlic

Throw chilies and garlic to food processor and chop until fine. Leave the seeds in. You want some heat in this, and its traditional to leave the seeds anyway.

Add remaining ingredients and process until well mixed.

Spoon into clean jars and store in the refrigerator for up to a year, or if your fridge is like mine, until gone or it looks off – which could be 6 months or 5 years. Your mileage may vary.